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From Dusk Till Dawn (CA - BD)

Chris Gould checks out the Canadian Blu-ray release of the Rodriguez movie

I'm not a huge fan of Canadian DVDs. I have nothing against Canada, but in my experience those guys tend to get the short end of the stick when it comes to their DVD releases. To me the bilingual covers look messy (seriously, it's not hard, have one language on each side), and a number of the titles I've previously imported have been inferior to their US counterparts. One of the distributors I've had negative experiences with in the past is Alliance Atlantis, but when I discovered that they had released a 'region free' From Dusk Till Dawn Blu-ray at a bargain basement price, I just had to take a look.

Feature

The Gecko brothers, Seth and Ritchie, are on the run from the law after committing a series of bloody robberies. Their goal is to hop the boarder to Mexico and retire on their ill-gotten gains, but Richie’s murderous tendencies are putting a severe dent in Seth’s best-laid plans. So, in order to make it across they hijack a motor home being driven by an ex-pastor named Jacob Fuller and his two children, Scott and Kate. Although he doesn’t take too kindly to being kidnapped, Jacob decides to go along with things to ensure his kids’ well-being, especially when Richie takes a shine to Kate.

After a close-call at boarder control, the fugitives and their hostages eventually make it into Mexico and head to the rendezvous point specified by Seth’s criminal contacts: the Titty Twister bar. This wild joint is frequented by truckers, bikers and assorted lowlifes attracted by the plentiful booze and exotic strippers. Unfortunately for the Geckos and the Fullers, this particular bar just happens to be run by a coven of bloodthirsty vampires who feed on the patrons! Surrounded on all sides, the gang must put aside their differences if they are to make it through the night alive.

Video

From Dusk Till Dawn arrives with a 1.78:1 widescreen transfer (AVC 1080p/24), the quality of which is superior to any version I've previously owned. I always remember the film as having a dull, muted look with lots of browns and golds, and this is retained for the Blu-ray release. Colour rendition looks to be fairly accurate, although somewhat different to the DVD release. The DVD had slightly unnatural skin tones and appeared oversaturated in places, but the BD is better in these respects. Reds aren't quite as deep as the DVD in certain places, but from what I can ascertain from various still photographs the BD offers a more accurate representation of the true colours. Probably the best example of this is the neon behind Santanico Pandemonium when she makes her grand entrance, which is a deep red on the DVD, but slightly lighter on the BD and in the still images I found while Googling.

Black levels are fairly solid, if not as inky as most modern productions, while contrast appears consistent. The level of detail is reasonable for a Blu-ray release but some way off of the format's best offerings. Many of the close-ups are quite revealing (you can see the pores on the actors' faces), but most of the wide shots lack the kind of definition I was hoping for. Having said that, comparisons with the DVD proved highly enlightening, with the latter looking like a blurry mess compared to the BD image. Simply put, the Blu-ray blew the upscaled PAL anamorphic disc out of the water in this department.

I didn't spot any particularly nasty artefacts under normal viewing conditions, aside from the odd white speck on the print (which is otherwise in pretty good shape), and although I was initially concerned by the amount of telecine wobble on display when the opening Dimension logo appeared, things improved once the film proper began. There's quite a lot of grain in the image, which I initially took for low-level noise, but closer inspection changed my mind as it looked different to the blockiness found in the DVD image. I have to assume that it is most likely down to the source material rather than a compression issue. Although presented on a single-layered BD the actual encode is slightly over 20GB, which is comparable to many films of two hours and under.

All things considered this appears to be an accurate rendition of the source material, but From Dusk Till Dawn's gritty style was never going to make it a candidate for 'Best Video of the Year'. I'm sure those with huge screens and people who sit two inches away from the screen will pick out more flaws in the image, but from a viewing position of around ten feet from a 42" set, it wasn't half bad.

Audio

The back of the case erroneously lists a standard DTS 5.1 soundtrack, when in fact the disc contains a full DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. For once that's a mistake I can live with! As to the quality, well it's a bit of a mixed bag. Things are very lively from the outset, with good directionality, clear dialogue and some incredibly powerful bass. However, the difference between the quietest and loudest parts of the track is very extreme, so I was quite taken aback when the quiet, dialogue-driven opening scene in Benny's World of Liquor did indeed turn into 'the fucking Wild Bunch'. Once the opening credits kicked in and 'Dark Night' started playing, I almost reached for the volume control (almost).

There are some benefits to having such an aggressive track. The aforementioned Benny's World of Liquor scene produces some nice moments, with powerful gunshots and the amusing sound of popping in the rear channels when the flaming store clerk crashes into the popcorn stand. The rumbles that accompany Richie's numerous bouts of psychosis are deeper than ever, and when the action moves to the Titty Twister the track really comes alive with the sounds of mayhem and destruction. Surprisingly the track also handles the subtleties fairly well, which is especially noticeable during the quieter moments of the Twister scenes. Various howls and screams can be heard as the gang stake vamps off-screen, while the ever-present sound of bats is actually quite eerie.

Comparisons with the DVD indicate that the track might be slightly overcooked in the bass department, but that's more than compensated for by the improved clarity and more immersive sound. Some people could be put off by the extremely bassy track, but if you like your effects big and ballsy you'll love it. As with the video the audio isn't a perfect effort, but it is more than competent.

Extras

Zilch, I'm afraid. Okay, so this is a little disappointing given the wealth of material available, but it can almost be forgiven at this price-point. With that said, I'm lucky enough to own the feature packed DVD editions so the lack of extras wasn't a huge concern for me, but those buying the film for the first time might feel a little short-changed.

Overall

On the whole this is a pretty decent 'no frills' presentation of a great B movie. When it comes to DVD and Blu-ray I'm of the opinion that the quality of the main feature is paramount, so I'm not too concerned with the lack of extras. A lot of that is down to the price (you can import it for as little as £12.99), which I think represents great value for a high-def release. Although the audio-visual elements aren't perfect they do represent a significant upgrade from the standard-definition DVD releases, so if you can live with the lack of extras it's probably worth checking this one out.

* Note: The above images are taken from the Blu-ray release and resized for the page. Full-resolution captures are available by clicking individual images, but due to .jpg compression they are not necessarily representative of the quality of the transfer.

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This is one of my favorite movies. The US Release will be one of the first Blu-Rays that I buy when I get a player. Just a fun, explative filled, violent blast. I've come to expect nothing less from Rodriguez and Tarantino.

I have to admit, I can't remember the last time I watched this movie beyond the point where Salma turns into the lizard thingy. The funny part is shown in the still picture when she is dancing for Tarantino and backs up on the table. Clooney has to back out of the way a little or he would have gotten a face-full. I'm pretty sure the extras' behind him in the scene are commenting about it to each other.

BTW, some of the pencil thin actresses out there should take a look at that picture and think about eating a meal or two. She is spectacular.

Bouncy X wrote: speaking as a canadian, i totally agree with you regarding our bilingual cover/back art. as bilingual as we supposedly are, english is still waaaay more prominent and aside from those who live in Quebec, most french people (being one myself) speak or at the very least understand english quite well. this bilingual cover c**p must be stopped. after prices, its the reason i've bought 99% of my blu-rays off amazon.com.

Amen fellow Canuk brother. I NEVER buy Canadian anymore and this bi-lingual c**p is one of the prime reasons. The other was price but that's evened out a bit. Still though, with the loss of features sometimes (sin city without DTS) and the french, I won't buy Canadian EVER!!!!!!

Enjoy watching Sin City Chris. Will be interested to hear your thoughts on the DTS HD track. Its nice enough but I was kind of expecting a real room thumper. Might be that I've been spoiled recently with the power of Universal's DTS HD tracks. New Hulk movie made the entire room shake! Nightmare on Elm St nice so far. PQ is decent and AQ is the best I've ever heard this flick sound. Not bad!

I'm watching Sin City tonight, as I've had a few things to get through recently. I think the visibility of the artefacts is display dependant, but they are clearly there. That's a whole lot of blocking. With that said, the people who have been complaining haven't stated what equipment they used when watching. I wanted Elm Street, but it turned out to be region locked. PITA.

Fair enough Chris. Wonder if those with complains about Sin City haven't got their displays calibrated properly ... Sin City really separates the men from the boys when it comes to brightness & contrast... What did you make of DTS HD track? Was slightly dissappointed myself... Off to check out BR of Nightmare on Elm St now...

I don't care, I was just trying to see if the artefacts that some people have been talking about existed. The only way I could see them was to turn the brightness up full. I can't see them on the LCDs attached to either of my PCs or the screens of my laptops. They show up on my Mrs' laptop screen, but that's one of those new ultra-bright things. I've upped some caps to ImageShack to show you what I mean. The brightness has been bumped up by 450% though (DVD first, then BD)...

My 43" display has been calibrated by a member of the European Imaging Science Foundation and to my eyes Sin City looks amazing! Head and shoulders above any previous DVD version of the film & one of the best catalogue titles I've ever seen on BR. Why would you care about how a film looks with the brightness set to full Chris? Just curious...

Didn't know that an "unrated" cut was available. Awesome. But the screen captures make me want to go and buy this (and a Blu-Ray player, 'cause I don't want to wait until Christmas) immediately. Look at the sharpness of the neon T*tty Twister sign, the shot of Danny Trejo-as-a-vampire... it looks wonderful. Thanks for putting those up.

Sin City actually has some compression blocking in the image, but I couldn't see it unless I put the brightness up to full on my TV. It appears to show up in similar places to the DVD release, but it's green instead of blue.

Thanks for the review... I love this film! It's one of my all time favourites. It reminds a lot of my absolute favourite film: Raiders Of The Lost Ark. Both are an homage to old genre pictures (adventure serials for Raiders and grindhouse/drive-in B-horror movies for Dusk) and both are made with a lot of love and enthousiasm. I guess I'm gonna have to order this (together with Sin City) right now!

I completely agree with Bouncy X, and I do the same thing. I buy most dvds/blu rays online SPECIFICALLY to avoid the incredibly ugly french text on the cases. I was looking forward to a blu ray of FDTD, since my 2 disc was stolen. I didnt want to re-buy the dvd since its not even anamorphic. This lack of extras is VERY dissapointing.

BTW, chris, sometimes we DO get the good stuff here, north of the border. for instance, as a horror fan, i've appreciated the deluxe editions of films like Brotherhood of the wolf and ginger snaps that have been unavailable in the states. so lets give us canucks some love.

Still on the fence about picking this disc up or not. I already have the 2-disc. I agree about the bilingual cover art, its just odd/annoying sometimes! I beleive only 1 provine (NB) is actually bilingual... so ya. They only add french onto cover art if the disc includes a french language track.

speaking as a canadian, i totally agree with you regarding our bilingual cover/back art. as bilingual as we supposedly are, english is still waaaay more prominent and aside from those who live in Quebec, most french people (being one myself) speak or at the very least understand english quite well. this bilingual cover c**p must be stopped. after prices, its the reason i've bought 99% of my blu-rays off amazon.com.

as for the movie, i've always loved this but im trying not to rebuy movies i already own on dvd so i have to avoid it. lol